My IKEA Milsbo Orchid Cabinet

[Hazeldazel]

In my home office, I have all of my orchids in an IKEA Milsbo cabinet, lighted by cheap 40 watt LED panels which are dimmable. There are a couple fans in there as well and everything is plugged into a smart power strip (so lights are on a timer I can adjust with my phone). With the heat from the lights, it gets to the upper 70's°F during the day with 60-70% humidity.

This is the setup I mentioned on one of isurus79 's recent YouTube videos, I hope he sees this.

[Hazeldazel]

ugh, I don't know why the uploader rotated my pics. sigh.

[Fairorchids]

If you modify the photos slightly (crop something off one side), and save it (either same name, or under a different file name if you want to preserve the original photo), then upload the modified version. It should be straight now.

[rbarata]

I also have considered this cabinet, and saw it the last time I wnet to an IKEA but my verdict is: too expensive, especially without any proff that it would meet my requirements.

[isurus79]

Looks great! What are you keeping in there?

[Hazeldazel]

I have mostly species orchids in there. Dendrobiums and phalaenopsis are most numerous but I have several bulbos, several catts/laelias, Aerangises, Angraecums, a couple sarcochilus, and a Neofinetia in a pear tree. The roots are going gang busters in everything I think because the humidity stays around 70%. My phals are the warm growing types like bellina, violacea so they are all growing and blooming like crazy. My gigantea has grown over six inches in the last couple months with root tips poking out everywhere. I have multiple new growths with sheaths in the catts.

I think the only ones I might move next year are the winter resting dendrobiums. I have an old shelf in the garage and an old grow light panel, so I might chuck them out there if they stayed too warm this winter. I kept them pretty dry and I change the lighting hours, so I’m not sure if they really need cooler temps as well.

[orchidman77]

This is a really elegant setup. I'm seeing that Aroid/Hoya growers are also using these cabinets to show off their plants and keep the humidity high - I'd like to try this in the near future.

I'm envisioning something like a "show cabinet" where I have most of my (nonblooming) orchids in a tent and blooming ones in the cabinet to enjoy easily while they bloom? I love how our hobby continues to develop!!